Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is delightfully fun for the family
Under the direction of Joel Crawford, Antonio Banderas makes a voice return to one of his most beloved characters in Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. Paul Fisher pens the film script, which marks a return to the Shrek universe for the first time in more than a decade.
The Best Man: Final Chapters is a worthy close to the franchise
Peacock brings Malcolm D. Lee’s iconic Best Man franchise to television in The Best Man: The Final Chapters. It’s been nine years since we last saw Harper Stewart (Taye Diggs), Robin Stewart (Sanna Lathan), Lance Sullivan (Morris Chestnut), Jordan Armstrong (Nia Long), Julian Murchison (Harold Perrineau), Candace Murchison (Regina Hall),Quentin “Q” Spivey (Terrence Howard) and Shelby Taylor (Melissa De Sousa).
Second Listen Sunday: Freddie Jackson, At Christmas
By the time Freddie Jackson released his first Christmas album, At Christmas, in 1994, he had already established himself as one of the finest balladeers. He had released six albums to his credit. On the album’s opening track, One Wish, Jackson collaborated with Gordon Chambers and longtime collaborator Barry Eastmond. The trio created a midtempo bop that is a suitable introduction to the album.
Slow Jam Saturday: Troop, Santa Can You Help Me
While R&B quintet Troop had yet to release an album since the late nineties, the group stayed active with touring and solo offerings from some members. In 2014, the group surprised fans by releasing a new song, “Santa Can You Help Me.”
Anna Gunna is out for revenge in The Apology
Filmmaker Alison Star Locke teams up with Emmy Award Winner Anna Gunn for her writing/directorial debut in The Apology from RLJE Films. In the aftermath of the disappearance of her daughter Sally twenty years earlier, recovering alcoholic Darlene Hagen (Anna Gunn) is preparing to host her family’s Christmas celebration with her best friend Gretchen (Janeane Garofalo).
Second Listen Sunday : A Kenny Lattimore Christmas
R&B crooner Kenny Lattimore had twenty years in the game when his first holiday CD A Kenny Lattimore Christmas, arrived in 2016. Lattimore has one of the natural voices; he can sing anything and sound good. The first time I saw Mr. Lattimore live, he sang opera and wowed the audience with his instrument. That said, I didn’t want this review to focus on his covers of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “The Christmas Song,” and “O Holy Night because he sings them with ease. Instead, I want to focus on the original songs.
Slow Jam Saturday: Faith Evans, Merry Christmas Baby
Faith Evans was fresh off the success of her fourth gold-selling album, The First Lady, when her first-holiday album, A Faithful Christmas, hit stores. As is the norm with holiday releases, A Faithful Christmas is a collection of Christmas songs. It contains various traditional and modern Christmas songs, such as “White Christmas” and “Santa Baby.”
Strong performances can’t save Empire of Light
Oscar-winning actress Olivia Coleman teams with Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes for his latest awards bait performance in Searchlight Pictures Empire of Light from Searchlight Pictures. As with his last film, the phenomenal 1917, Mendes also pens the script for Empire of Light.
Christmas Bloody Christmas earns a slot on the naughty list
Kris Kringle is another murderous rampage in the RLJE film release, Christmas Bloody Christmas, written and directed by Joe Begos. On the eve of Christmas, fiery record store owner Tori Tooms (Riley Dandy) wants to get drunk and have some fun. At Tori’s workplace, Robbie (Sam Delich) harbors an unrequited crush on Tori, and all he wants for Christmas is to break out of the friend zone so he can be with her.
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio is an adult fairy tale
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio takes place in Italy in the 1930s, during the Fascist era. The walls are lined with clergy, and the podestà is in charge of the town under the rule of the fascist hierarchy. The story is that Pinocchio was created by Geppetto, who had just lost a son and believed that this was a way to make up for it.
Second Listen Sunday: Musiq Soulchild, A PhillySoul Christmas
Musiq Soulchild was basking in the success of “If U Leave,” the second, fifth studio album OnMyRadio when he quietly released the Christmas EP, A Philly Soul Christmas, in the fall of 2008. Often in the realm of R&B, Christmas EPs can come across as a cash grab or label obligation.
Slow Jam Saturday: En Vogue, With My Honey
Legendary R&B quartet En Vogue had seen its share of up and downs when its first Christmas album, The Gift of Christmas, arrived in the fall of 2002. Five years prior, fans saw the departure of original member Dawn Robinson.